


Mrs. Wayne?

by BigFootGirl



Series: The Swearing Jar [5]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-03-19 20:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3624006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigFootGirl/pseuds/BigFootGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An encounter leaves Selina thinking about her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mrs.

“Here are your bags, Mrs. Wayne. Have a nice day!” The cashier at the trendy little boutique in midtown Gotham gave Selina a friendly smile as the cat-burglar and occasional vigilante accepted the two bags with clothing and accessories before leaving the shop.

 _Mrs. Wayne_? Since when was Selina Kyle, Gotham socialite and one of the city’s foremost experts in art, _Mrs. Wayne_? Yes, she was in a committed partnership with Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s favorite son. Yes, she had moved in with him and his brood of children/crime fighting partners after regaining custody of the daughter she had given up for adoption. Yes, she was now (technically) a mother of 7 and had just purchased a few things for the teenage Cassie who had no real interest in fashion but had been in need of a few girly things that she wasn’t aware she was in need of.

But she still wore all of the rings that _she_ had bought for herself. There was no diamond engagement ring with platinum band around the third finger of her left hand, nor a gold wedding ring. In fact, the only jewelry she wore that had been a gift from Bruce, aka Batman, was a silver cat brooch with black crystal fur and green emeralds for eyes.

So how was she now _Mrs. Wayne_?

Selina considered the entire encounter now in her mind’s eye. When the clerk had asked her if she was looking for anything specific, Selina had asked about some of the teen clothes. But she’d said she was buying a gift for a friend’s daughter! How could that have been construed as “I’m looking for something for _my_ teenage daughter”? She didn’t even look like she was old enough to be the mother of a teenager! Right?

And then there was the payment at the end. Selina pressed the trunk button on her key fob and placed the bags with her purchases inside. She looked over the other three bags that contained her other purchases of the day. None of them screamed “Look at me! I’m a mom!” Shaking her head, she closed the trunk, unlocked her door, and got in her car. Pushing the lock into position, Selina got her wallet out once more, taking out her three credit cards. She ran her finger over the raised letters that spelled out her name: Selina _Kyle_. None of them said Selina _Wayne_ , so she asked herself again: How did it happen that the clerk called her _Mrs. Wayne_?

It was puzzling. Reaching down to start her car, she pulled out of the parking space and proceeded to the bridge that would take her back to Wayne Manor. She decided to put the thought out of her mind, at least for now. For now, all she needed to worry about was the usual bridge traffic to get out of Gotham proper. She’d wonder some more about the clerk’s assumption after she got home and showed Cassie the new sweater and tights that she’d bought her. Until then, the traffic report.


	2. That Gotham Sun

When Selina returned to Wayne Manor, she was surprised to discover that the house was relatively quiet for once. Usually, she would return home to discover that someone had done something to someone else or someone had borrowed someone else’s motorcycle. Today, it was rather peaceful.

She placed the bags that would go in her closet at the foot of the stairs, before picking up the three bags that held purchases for other members of the family and walking to the kitchen, the Wayne family’s _official_ meeting spot.

Walking over to the table where everyone was sitting, she gave Bruce a kiss and Helena a hug, deftly avoiding the paint covered fingers of her baby girl, before giving Damian and Cassie the bags she had brought to the kitchen.

“Don’t. Start. Damian, you needed new socks and Alfred asked me to pick them up. Cassie, if the dress doesn’t fit, we’ll just exchange it. And you need to practice walking in heels for the Wayne Enterprises Christmas party.”

“But it’s August.”

“And that will give you plenty of time. They’re in your size, and the heels are just a bit taller than your uniform boots. You will be fine.”

The two beleaguered teens looked to their father for help.

“You both know that if you don’t tell her that you don’t need something, she’s going to get you something. How was Gotham?”

“Fine. Except, did something happen regarding our relationship that you failed to tell me?”

“Like what?”

“Like the fact that the whole city thinks you guys got married in secret?”

“WHAT?!”

Bruce and Selina looked at Tim as if he’d grown a second head. He passed his Q-Pad to Selina so she could see what he was talking about.

“According to the Gotham Sun, you were secretly married here at the Manor last weekend when the League was here for the barbecue.”

“How did they find out about that?” Cassie asked her brother as she picked Helena up and took her to the sink to wash her hands.

“Well, it wasn’t written by Lois or Clark, and I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of this Megan Nichols,” Bruce began as he was handed the tablet to read the story.

“I’d say someone was snooping. Look at the photos; they’re all taken using a long lens,” Tim replied, pointing out the article’s image gallery.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t catch Mr. Allen or either of the Misters West using their speed,” Alfred said, exiting the pantry with an unopened jar of peanut butter in his hands.

“Why were you reading the Gotham Sun, anyway, Tim? I thought you ‘loathed and abhorred’ it since that story about you being in a love triangle with Stephanie and Tamara was written.”

“Dick sent it to me. He thought it was too much of a gross invasion of our privacy and wanted me to check the computer. I’ve got it running an algorithm through all of the photos to get a ‘who’ and ‘where.’”

“Ah.” Selina picked up her now-paint-free daughter and tickled her before sitting her on the counter next to the peanut butter jar.

“It should have some answers by now,” Bruce said before striding out of the kitchen to his study. Tim and Damian followed behind, while Cassie picked up the bags with Selina’s purchases for her and Damian and left them by the stairs before following her father and brothers.

“Let’s hope there’s an end to this,” Selina told her daughter as they nibbled on the chunky peanut butter on their spoons.


End file.
